The present invention relates in general to an adapter, and more particularly, to a cassette style adapter for playback of signals produced by an audio device, for example, a compact disc player and the like, to be reproduced by a cassette player of either the front loading or side loading type without interference from the adapter's external electrical conductor which is connected to the audio device.
Today, sound recordings are predominantly reproduced in compact disc and cassette formats. Vinyl records, the traditional LP, have generally become obsolete except for a limited niche market of new recording artists. This dual format between compact discs and cassettes are mutually exclusive. That is, playback equipment which will accommodate compact discs will not typically accommodate cassettes. In certain instances, the playback equipment is provided with a separate playback device for compact discs and one for cassettes. This, obviously, increases the consumer cost in purchasing playback equipment having dual format capability.
In other instances, this dual playback capability is more the exception than the rule. In particular, automobiles typically include a radio having a cassette player as a standard feature. In most cases, a compact disc player is only available as an option in late model cars or as a retrofit at a considerable expense. It is therefore not infrequent that one is unable to play their compact disc collection in their automobile. This necessitates that the user maintain a duplicate collection of selected music, both on compact disc and cassette.
To overcome this problem, there is known from Schotz, U.S. Pat. No. 4,734,897, a cassette adapter which enables signals from a compact disc player to be reproduced as audio sounds by a cassette player. The cassette adapter includes a record head which receives signals to be reproduced from the compact disc player. When the cassette adapter is inserted into the cassette player, its record head is aligned opposing the playback head in the cassette player to enable reproduction of the received signals by the cassette player in the form of audio sounds.
The cassette adapter is connected to the compact disc player by a conventional electrical conductor supporting a headphone jack type connector. In order to enable the cassette adapter to be received within a cassette player of either the front or side loading type, the adapter housing is provided with a plurality of peripheral slots which enable manipulation of the conductor about the periphery of the adapter. This effectively prevents the electrical conductor from interfering with the internal mechanisms of the cassette player, irrespective of its front or side loading design.
Although the Schotz cassette adapter accomplishes its stated objective, it suffers from a number of notable disadvantages. In particular, the slots about the periphery of the adapter are in open communication with one another. As a consequence, it is possible for the electrical conductor to inadvertently move from one location to another either during insertion, playback or removal of the adapter from the cassette player. The inadvertent repositioning of the electrical conductor under any of these circumstances could cause the conductor to entangle itself within the internal mechanisms of the cassette player.
This problem is overcome by the cassette adapter known from Iizuka, Japanese Utility Model Application Serial No. S 52-95789. In Iazuka, like Schotz, the cassette adapter enables its electrical conductor to be repositioned at a plurality of different locations about the periphery of the cassette adapter. However, unlike Schotz, the electrical conductor of Iazuka is semipermanently fixed at each of its respective locations. In order to reposition the electrical conductor from one location to another when confronted with changing from a front loading cassette player to a side loading one, Iazuka requires that the cassette adapter be partially disassembled and reassembled by the user by removing and reattaching its top cover. This necessitates the use of non-standard tools, e.g., miniature screw drivers, which are not typically at the user's disposal when the need arises.